Why Elephants Rarely Get Cancer

Elephants rarely get cancer.

Thanks to the study, researchers could develop a p53-based drug that would help humans prevent or even fight cancer.

Multiple copies of a tumour-suppressor gene help elephants avoid cancer.

The researchers found that elephants have a more aggressive internal mechanism for killing damaged cells that are at risk for becoming cancerous. The cells that do not self-repair or self-destruct when exposed to radionuclide become prone to developing cancer. Schiffman and his team, for example, plan to investigate natural or synthetic compounds that can mimic the amplification of the p53-associated gene seen in elephants. Schiffman describes TP53 as the “guardian of the genome”, scanning cells for genetic mistakes and destroying ones that can’t be fixed.

Rather than offering short-term hope for cancer patients, Vogelstein said, the new study is “just a fascinating story about elephants”. They have just one active copy of p53 and more than a 90 percent lifetime risk for cancer. Additional studies will be needed to determine whether p53 directly protects elephants from cancer. In contrast, elephants reproduce throughout most of their lifespan, which usually lasts more than 50 years. “These elephant cells are exquisitely sensitive to any type of DNA damage”.

At the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Maley is not only a multi-specialty scientist – with degrees in computational biology, zoology and psychology – but he works with hundreds of other researchers at ASU who share the fundamental belief that nature’s processes hold the key to many of life’s most vexing questions.

Cancer is a disease of aging, and elephants can live up to 70 years. “The next steps are to figure out precisely how these extra copies are working in the cell, and if there are other genes with elephant-specific changes evolved in their cancer resistance”.

“The incredible bond our staff has with these majestic animals, and the hands-on care provided at the Center for Elephant Conservation, allows us to easily provide the blood samples Dr. Schiffman needs to further his research”, said Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment and producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. And the company’s Center for Elephant Conservation on Thursday announced a new fundraising effort in conjunction with Primary Children’s and Huntsman Cancer Institute to further Schiffman’s research. Fewer than 5% of elephants die from cancer, the scientists estimated, a lower rate than for smaller animals such as African wild dogs (8%) and humans (up to 25%). Sometimes, only one copy works, a case known as the Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Interestingly, as Lynch and his team noted in their preprint study published on BioRxiv, they were able to trace the redundant development P53 genes back to woolly mammoths and mastodons.

To try and understand the reason for these low rates, a team of researchers extracted white blood cells from elephant blood drawn during routine wellness checks. These children are very sensible to cancer infections due to their incomplete or lack of p53 genes.

Schiffman’s team collaborated with Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Ringling Bros. “We want to use these lessons from nature to prevent, develop early recognition tools, and treat cancer in humans”.

Peterson says Schiffman kept him in the loop during the study, so he “knew how big of a deal it is” and was excited for his elephants to be part of it. “For instance, most human cancers … are associated with lifestyles that are not found among animals, such as smoking, reproductive, dietary, and sun soaking habits”. “The explanation for this dilemma may involve other factors that greatly increase cancer risk”.